49ers land weapon for Jimmy Garoppolo in USA TODAY mock NFL draft

The 49ers wrapped up the 2017 season with more momentum than many playoff teams. The positive vibes can be attributed largely to the acquisition of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who led the team to five straight wins to finish the schedule. Two of those were over the Titans and Jaguars – who advanced to the divisional round of the postseason over the weekend.

Coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch enter in an offseason in which they need to figure out Garoppolo’s contract status – the franchise tag or a long-term deal – and build the team around him into a playoff contender in 2018. With over $110 million in projected cap space, free agency will be a significant step, but long-term success is built through the NFL draft.

Lynch’s first step is finding a potential No. 1 receiver for Garoppolo in Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz’s latest mock draft for USA TODAY, who tapped SMU’s Courtland Sutton with the ninth-overall pick.

For all the promise Kyle Shanahan’s offense showed as Jimmy Garoppolo went 5-0 as a starter, San Francisco still needs a big-bodied receiver. At 6-4 and 215 pounds, former basketball player Sutton can win 50-50 balls and boost a red-zone offense that ranked as one of the league’s worst (47% touchdown rate).

Sutton is as physically imposing as any receiver in the draft. What he lacks in route-running and short area quickness he makes up for with physicality and the ability to high-point the ball over defenders. Sutton’s also surprisingly effective with the ball in his hands, routinely making defenders miss and breaking tackles. The SMU product racked up 193 receptions for 3,193 yards and 31 touchdowns in three seasons, averaging over 16 yards per catch.

For now, the 49ers receiving corps features Pierre Garçon, Marquise Goodwin and Trent Taylor, offering plenty of grit, speed and quickness. But Garçon is the tallest of that trio at 6-foot. Sutton’s height and ability to find the end zone would offer a much-needed dynamic for Shanahan’s offense and give the 49ers a four-receiver rotation that would make things difficult for defensive coordinators.

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